This invention relates to an image reading system having an image reading apparatus for reading the image of a document and an information processing terminal for controlling the image reading apparatus.
An image reading system conventionally has an image reading apparatus and an information processing terminal. The image reading apparatus is instructed to start the reading of an image by an operation performed at the information processing terminal. In a scenario where the reading apparatus is connected to a LAN and is shared by a plurality of information processing terminals, however, the reading apparatus and the information processing terminals would most likely be placed at physically remote locations and therefore it would be considered useful to provide means through which the command to start reading could be issued directly from the image reading apparatus itself.
However, if it is so arranged that a command to start reading can be accepted from both the image processing apparatus and the information processing terminals, a problem would arise in which reading start commands might be entered by a plurality of users simultaneously.
An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problem.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a system in which an image read command for transfer of an image to an information processing terminal can be issued by operation of an image reading apparatus, at which time the information processing terminal is caused to manage the command information.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a system in which processing contention can be prevented by reserving the reading of an image.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a system in which the reading of an image can be carried out by exchange commands made to conform to the specifications of a general-purpose interface.